JP2005525212A - Granular material cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A compact dedusting device is attached to a machine that requires granular material to achieve economical and efficient decontamination just prior to using the granular material. The dedusting device includes a downwardly inclined feeding chute having an opening at the bottom. In order to constantly meter the flow of particulate material through the dedusting device, a meter consisting of a rotatable finned stirrer is fed in and arranged to block the opening of the chute. The meter is oriented at a slight angle with respect to the inclined surface of the feed chute so as to provide a constant flow of particulate material through the opening of the feed chute. An air stream is passed through a wash deck located below the feed chute to wash the particulate material. The air stream is routed along a plurality of paths including air flow paths that cooperate with the cleaning deck to create an air knife to facilitate cleaning of the material.

Description

  The present invention relates to cleaning and conveying processing of particulate materials such as plastic pellets, grains, glass and the like, and in particular, the granular injection molding material is as close as possible to the actual molding process site in order to substantially remove its contaminants. Related to cleaning at the spot.

  In particular, in the technical field of transporting and using granular materials (also referred to as “granular material”, “granular material” or “particles”) such as powders, granules (granules), pellets, etc., the product particles are contaminated as much as possible. It is well known that it is important to maintain a state free from any problem. The particles are usually mixed, packaged, or used in a pressurized (pressurized) cylindrical system that is transported within the facility and produces a flow of material that behaves like a fluid. When such material moves in a pipe or tube, there is considerable friction not only between the particles but also between the tube wall and the particles in the flow. As a result of this friction, particle dust, crushed dust, flakes and streamers (ribbon-like substances) are generated. (Streamers can “grow” into very long, entangled bundles that can even block the flow of the material or even completely block the flow.) As well as the importance and value of keeping particles as clean as possible, is well known.

  The term “contaminant” as used herein refers to a wide range of foreign substances including the crushed particles, dust, fuzz and streamers described in the previous section. In any case, contaminants are harmful in producing high-quality products, and in some cases can be a health hazard to manufacturing company employees, and certain contaminants are flammable. When exposed to a source, it also creates a danger in that it produces a dust cloud that can explode.

  As a main example, considering the quality of secondary products (final products) with a focus on molding plastics, foreign materials that have a different composition from primary materials (also referred to as primary products relative to secondary products that are final products) For example, dust, inhomogeneous materials in primary products, flies, streamers, etc. do not necessarily have the same melting temperature as the primary product, so they will cause wrinkles when melted and molded. These wrinkles can result in color unevenness and bubble formation in the final product, and the product often becomes unsellable because it often has a foul and smeared appearance. Also, such inhomogeneous materials often do not melt at the same melting temperature as the primary product, so unmelted contaminants cause premature wear on the molding machine due to friction, resulting in machine downtime. It should also be noted that production will be suspended, productivity will be reduced, maintenance costs will be increased, and therefore total production costs will be increased.

  Since dust and other contaminants are mostly caused by the transport system, not only does it provide a device to thoroughly clean the particles, but also the use of particles to avoid the generation of contaminants during transport. It is important to clean the particles as close as possible to the area. In this field, dedusting devices (cleaning devices that remove dust and the like from particulate matter) have been used for several years to clean materials, but the present invention contemplates a significant improvement over the prior art. A relatively small volume of primary material or primary product (hereinafter also simply referred to as “material” or “product”) can be transported and the product can be thoroughly cleaned. It is intended to meet the demand for a compact dust removal device. Importantly, the present invention significantly reduces its size and cost compared to this type of machine of the prior art, and not at an early stage in the material transfer process where recontamination can occur after cleaning, This means that it is possible to install a dedusting device at a point just before the final use of the product.

In the past, products (eg, molding materials such as plastic pellets) were cleaned using a relatively large dedusting device and stored in bulk in bulk for later use in the molding process. The material so stored is often passed through a dryer to remove moisture just prior to subsequent injection molding. The moisture of the plastic pellets becomes steam in the molding machine and causes air bubbles and color stains (stains) in the final product (molded product). The more serious problem faced by conventional systems was that the particles had to be cleaned and stored in large quantities and then transported to the dryer, which generated new dust during transport and new contamination. When the material is passed through a dryer to collect things, the dust and other contaminants are "baked" on the pellets due to the high temperatures required for drying. In view of this, the importance of cleaning the material immediately prior to drying and molding is clear. According to the novel configuration of the present invention, scrap can be reduced, the quality of the final product can be improved, machine maintenance can be reduced, productivity can be increased, and the investment recovery period can be shortened.
US Pat. No. 5,035,331 U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,124

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact detachment that can convey and process various volumes of granular material for feeding to a molding machine and that can be thoroughly cleaned before being used by the molding machine. It is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a dust device.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an efficient and compact dedusting device that can thoroughly clean dust particles and other contaminants just prior to using the material from a stream of particulate material.

  An advantage of the present invention is that the particulate material is not exposed to post-contamination after storage and transport operations after it has been cleaned.

  A feature of the present invention is that a compact dust removal device can be attached to the molding machine to clean contaminants from the plastic pellets as they are fed into the plastic molding machine.

  Another feature of the present invention is to provide a meter which serves to constantly meter the flow of particulate material through the dedusting device.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is the formation of a rotatable fin (blade) hub that substantially blocks the opening to control the flow of particulate material through the through opening of the dedusting device. .

  Yet another feature of the present invention is that the finned hub is rotated at a rotational speed of approximately one revolution per minute.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a flexible blade (fin) that can be deflected upon encountering a clogging of the material flow in order to maintain a uniform flow of particulate material through the dedusting device. It is to be provided in the attached hub.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is to connect the dedusting device to a remote dust collector that passes a clean air stream through the dedusting device.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is a multiple flow including a flow path that creates an air knife that assists the air flow through the dedusting device to exfoliate contaminants from the particulate material to be cleaned by the dedusting device. It is to guide through the road.

  Still another feature of the present invention is that the feeding device for guiding the granular material to the dust removing device is configured as an inclined chute, and an opening for guiding the flow of the granular material to the dust removing device is provided in a lower portion of the chute. is there.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is that the meter is rotatably mounted at a position covering the opening at the bottom of the feed chute that guides the flow of particulate material to the dust removal device.

  Yet another feature of the invention is that the finned hub blades (fins) are oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to the inclination of the feed chute to facilitate the flow of particulate material to the feed chute opening. It is to be.

  Yet another feature of the present invention is that the magnetic field can be utilized to break the electrostatic coupling between the particulate material and the contaminants attached thereto.

  Still another feature of the present invention is a compact dust removing device having a durable structure, low manufacturing cost, low maintenance, easy assembly, simple operation and efficient. Is to provide.

  The present invention can be mounted on machines that use particulate material that requires contamination cleaning to achieve the above and other objects, features, and advantages, and the economics of the material immediately before using the particulate material, and Provided is a compact dust removing device capable of performing efficient decontamination (contamination removal). The dedusting device of the present invention has a downwardly inclined infeed chute having an opening at the bottom, and is in the form of a rotatable finned hub for constantly metering the flow of particulate material passing through the dedusting device. The opening of the chute is almost blocked (closed) by the measuring instrument. The meter includes a flexible blade oriented at a slight angle to the chute slope to provide a constant material flow through the feed chute opening. An air stream is sent through an air washing deck (hereinafter also simply referred to as “air washing deck”) disposed below the feeding chute to wash the particulate material. The air stream is routed along multiple channels including channels that create air knives in cooperation with the cleaning deck to facilitate cleaning of the particulate material. After passing through the dedusting device, the particulate material is fed directly to the machine that uses the material.

  The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a practical application of a first embodiment of a dust removal apparatus incorporating the principles of the present invention. The injection molding machine 1 equipped with the dust removing apparatus of the present invention has a supply hopper 2 at an inlet for supplying a raw material (granular material) composed of a controlled (metered or metered) amount of plastic pellets. ing. This molding machine does not form part of the present invention and may be of any form or type. As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a dust removing apparatus 10 of the present invention for passing plastic pellets through a hopper 2 is fixed to the hopper 2. Since the first embodiment of the dust removing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 constitutes a part of a closed loop air circulation system, a hose that supplies clean air from the dust collecting apparatus 14 to the dust removing apparatus 10. 12 and a return hose 16 that collects contaminants such as dust particles and returns the contaminated contaminated air from the dust removing device to the dust collecting device 14. The dust collector 14 creates a vacuum in the return hose 16. Since the present invention has made it possible to develop a dust removing device that is much smaller in physical size than previously possible, it is necessary to install the dust removing device in a part immediately adjacent to the inlet of the molding machine in the entire molding process. to enable. Accordingly, substantially all contaminants are removed, eliminating waste, reducing internal wear of the molding machine itself, reducing maintenance costs, and enabling the production of a final product suitable for more homogeneous sales.

  For convenience of explanation, FIG. 2 shows the first embodiment of the dust removing apparatus 10 of the present invention as a simplified perspective view, but the embodiment of FIG. 2 is slightly different from those shown in the other drawings. Please note that. The primary product (in this example, the material containing plastic pellets and associated contaminants) is fed to the inlet 15 of the dedusting device where it falls within the magnetic field created by the magnetic field generator 20. This magnetic field breaks electrostatic coupling between dust and pellets, as detailed in US Pat. No. 5,035,331, issued July 30, 1991.

  The primary product then encounters a stirrer or meter 25. The stirrer drops the pellets (product) onto the washing deck at a metered and constant flow rate. The pellets are fluidized with wash air on the wash deck. The cleaning air causes relatively light contaminants to float above the main product flow. The pellet is then passed through a venturi chamber. The Venturi chamber adjusts the upward air flow rate to a level sufficient to remove even difficult-to-separate contaminants via an air knife described below. The dust, flies and streamers thus separated are carried out of the dust removing device through the air outlet 30. Air is filtered at the air inlet 35 and recirculated through the dust collector to the wash deck or exhausted to the atmosphere. On the other hand, the washed pellets are discharged through an outlet 40 at the bottom of the apparatus 10 and sent into a use process, in this example a plastic molding machine as shown in FIG.

  The magnetic field acts to destroy the electrostatic charge adsorption force of contaminants such as dust adhering to the primary granular product, thereby separating and removing this undesirable material from the primary product flow path. In order to more efficiently separate the contaminants from the primary product, the magnetic field strength and frequency can be changed to change the magnetic flux level and strength. Primary (primary) separation is achieved by a stream of air passed through the granulated product through a perforated screen or wash deck. The air stream serves to remove undesirable material from the flow path and to accelerate the flow of the primary product along the flow path. While the prior art generally required a large number of wash decks to achieve an acceptable level of product cleaning, the present invention allows for a single wash deck due to its unique ergonomic utilization. Achieve level of product cleaning. The Venturi zone creates a high relative velocity counter-current air flow to facilitate more efficient separation of contaminants. The present invention can also set the secondary cleaning and magnetic field. By treating the exhausted air, the separated contaminants can be captured, thereby preventing the contaminants from returning to the product flow path. The apparatus of the present invention preferably has a slight internal negative pressure to ensure the collection of separated contaminants.

  The magnetic flux generator 20 is not required for any application. If dust particles to be removed are less than 100 microns in diameter, a magnetic flux generator should be provided, but if dust particles larger than 100 microns in diameter are to be removed, the magnetic flux generator 20 is not necessary and is essential. is not.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the dedusting device can be constructed from a variety of different materials in a variety of different ways. The various variables relating to this structure do not form part of the present invention, and the structure actually described herein is to be understood as an example of how to build a fully functional device. That is, the parts, assemblies and subassemblies of the device can be formed from steel or plastic or other similar materials, and can be assembled and manufactured by casting or molding. Instead of assembling and manufacturing the housing 100 of the dust removing apparatus 10 by bending and welding a sheet metal into a predetermined shape, the housing 100 is cast with aluminum or for equipment that requires high quality processing. For example, casting the housing 100 of stainless steel is an economical alternative manufacturing method. The housing 100 is a unitary assembly that can inherently consist of a subassembly assembled from steel plates and tubes. The method of assembling and manufacturing each subassembly and housing assembly will be apparent to those skilled in the art, but there are several elements and structural parts that must be described in greater detail. These will be described below.

  A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. Although the form of the structural parts of the dedusting device 10 differs between the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-13, the overall operation of the dedusting device 10 is substantially the same. Particulate material such as plastic pellets contaminated with dust or other contaminants is fed into the dedusting device 10 through the top opening or inlet 15. Systems and controllers for feeding pellets from mass reservoirs are well known in the art and will not be described in detail here. The pellet falls on the feeding chute 102. The feeding chute 102 is fixed obliquely so that the pellets are fed from the rear of the apparatus toward a supply metering device (that is, a meter or a stirrer) 25 described later. Importantly, the chute 102 is configured with an opening 104 having a curved lower portion, as clearly shown in FIG. A viewing window 106 (see FIGS. 8 and 11 to 13) is arranged at the rear of the dust removing device 10 so that the operator can appreciate the operation of the entire dust removing device 10 by looking at the operation of the air cleaning deck 120. Yes.

  Further details of the apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The particulate material to be cleaned is fed onto the chute 102 through the top opening 15 and is sent along the chute 102 diagonally downward toward the bottom of the chute opening 104. A stirrer rotor 110 attached to the motor 112 projects into the opening 104 and substantially blocks the opening 104 to prevent material flow. As shown in FIGS. 14A to 14F, the stirrer rotor 110 is formed as a metal hub 113 having a reverse screw on the inner periphery and a flexible blade (fin) 114 attached to the outer periphery. When the blade 114 is rotated by the motor 112, it feeds a metered amount of material through the opening 104. Depending on the number of blades 114 and correspondingly the shape of the metal hub 113 can vary as shown in FIGS. 14E and 14F depending on the size (particle size) and type of pellets to be fed, but in most cases 3 It has been found that a single blade is sufficient and satisfactory results are obtained.

  An important element of the agitator rotor structure is the use of a flexible material as the material for the blade 114. If the blade 114 is rigid, the pellets will tend to plug the openings 104 and / or become clogged between the blade 114 and the chute 102, thus interrupting the flow of pellets to the wash deck 120, It has been found that the pellets will be crushed. In contrast, the flexible blade 114 supplies a continuous metering flow without interrupting or breaking the pellet flow. The flexible blade 114 bends when occluded, thereby passing a sufficient amount of material through the opening 104 to automatically and quickly resume the desired flow. The flexible material used for the blade 114 must be flexible enough to bend when an obstacle is encountered, and must be rigid enough for a substantial period of time. Polyurethane has been found to be a very suitable material.

  The angle of the blade 114, ie, the angle of the flight (blade or outer edge of the blade, in this example the hypotenuse of the triangle) relative to the hub seen in FIG. 14D (the acute angle on the left side in FIG. 14D) of the chute 102 seen in FIG. 14G. It is different from the tilt angle. This relationship (which can vary depending on the size of the pellet to be sent) serves to “pick” (move) the sandwiched pellet along the flight towards the opening 104. The motor 112 is set to rotate approximately once per minute, but can be changed according to the various parameters described above, or can be variable. The blade 114 is triangular so as to fit into the opening 104.

  The cleaning deck 120 just below the opening 104 also has an inclined surface that extends downwardly from just below the rotor 110 toward the circular outlet opening 40. The design of the air wash deck 120 can vary for different granular materials or pellet types, but the basic configuration is well known in the art, for example as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,631,124. However, in general, the cleaning deck 120 is a flat sieve or screen-like member having a number of holes or slots for the passage of air as part of the cleaning process. It has been found that air can be passed in an appropriate direction by using a porous or directed material as the screen. These multiple holes are shaped as “louvers” (tilted slats) to provide a more favorable direction of air flow. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, an optional air filter 122 can be positioned adjacent to the wash deck 120. In this second embodiment, a sealed air inlet fitting 128 with an inlet opening 124 and an outlet opening 126 for directing the air flow through the dedusting device 10 in a desired manner can be added.

  Referring to FIGS. 5 to 13, air passes through the cleaning deck 120 by a vacuum action, and is sucked from the outlet pipe 152 to the dust collector 14 through the return hose 16 (see FIG. 1). The curved baffle 136 shown in FIGS. 11-13 serves to prevent the pellet itself from being sucked through the outlet tube 152. It is convenient to attach a pressure gauge 140 to provide a visual display that displays the pressure in the dust removal apparatus 10.

  Further explanation with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, clean air from the dust collector 14 is sucked into the inlet 150 and from there (1) directly through the wash deck 120 (provided with a filter). The flow through the filter, then through the outlet mounting short tube 156 (FIG. 12), through the outlet 152 and back to the dust collector 14 for air purification, and (2) directly across the housing 100. A flow path leading to the return conduit 158 and returning to the dust collector 14 via the outlet 152, and (3) rising through the slot 160 below the wash deck 120 into the semicircular venturi chamber 162 and passing through the outlet 152 It can flow along three different paths of the outlet channel. In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inlet 150 and outlet 152 are completely separated by a fixed closure member 164, whereas in the preferred third embodiment, the inlet and outlet are described above. Other than being connected through a flow path, it is not structurally connected. The pressure relief valve 166 relieves pressure to prevent overpressure. The pressure relief valve 166 can be adjusted by screwing the thumbscrew against the spring 167 manually. In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure relief valve 166 is incorporated within the sealed air inlet fitting 128. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 13, the pressure relief valve 166 is vertically attached to the front surface of the dust removing device 10.

  An adjustable damper 168 is provided in the outlet conduit 158 to further control the direction of air flow through the housing 100. The adjustable damper 168 includes a rotatable baffle plate 169 mounted in the outlet conduit 158 and connected to an operating lever 169a for manually controlling the orientation. The operating lever 169a can be provided on the side of the return conduit 158 as shown in FIG. 3, but it is better to place it at the top of the return conduit 158 as shown in FIGS. Convenient. Changing the orientation of the baffle 169 can change the amount of air that can pass through the outlet conduit 158, and thus change the amount of air that passes through the wash deck 120 and the venturi chamber 162. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, different types of particulate material, particularly the size of the pellets, require different air flow rates to effectively clean the pellets before sending them into the processor 1.

  In operation, the pellets are dropped into the top opening 15 periodically or constantly depending on the type of product to engage the chute 102 and are sent to the chute opening 104 and the agitator 110. As the pellet enters the dust removal apparatus 10, it is exposed to the magnetic field created by the magnetic field coil 20, thereby separating powder, dust particles and other contaminants from the pellet. As the rotor 110 rotates, the pellets are released onto the wash deck 120 as a constantly metered flow. A constant air flow created by the vacuum in the outlet 152 is drawn through a number of holes in the wash deck 120, thereby fluidizing the pellet flow and removing contaminants from the dedusting device 10.

  The air taking the third path as described above is adjusted to create an “air knife” within the venturi chamber 162. That is, the air flow in the system causes the air flow rising through the venturi chamber 162 to support or float the pellets falling from the wash deck 120, thereby allowing the maximum amount of dust and contaminants to exit the attached short tube. Adjusted to rise towards 156. This air adjustment is performed while the operator observes the movement of the air flow through the viewing window 106. Specifically, the operator uses dampers 168 and valves 166 to adjust the overall flow in order to control the airflow movement seen through the viewing window 106. Finally, the pellets are sent into the molding machine 1 through the outlet 40.

  The dust removal apparatus 10 is sized and structured to process and transport a relatively small amount of primary product. Typically, an amount of less than 500 or 600 pounds per hour is the best range for the device 10 to process. Other practical applications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The compact dedusting device of the present invention is suitable for any application where it is important to remove as much contaminants as possible from the primary material.

  The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the structures and shapes of the embodiments illustrated here, and various embodiments are possible. It should be understood that modifications can be made.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an injection molding machine in which a dust removal apparatus according to the present invention is attached to a supply hopper to remove dust particles from the particulate material supplied into the supply hopper. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the dust removing apparatus according to the present invention as seen from the right front side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the dust removing apparatus according to the present invention as seen from the left front. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the second embodiment of the dust removing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an elevation view from the front of a third embodiment of the dust removing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an elevational view from the right side surface of the third embodiment of the dust removing apparatus shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an elevational view from the left side surface of the third embodiment of the dust removing apparatus shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is an elevation view seen from the rear side of the dust removing device shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the dust removing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the dust removing apparatus shown in FIGS. FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the left side surface of the dust removing device similar to that shown in FIG. 7, but showing the internal structure of the dust removing device. FIG. 12 is an elevational view of the right side surface of the dust removing device similar to that shown in FIG. 6, but showing the internal structure of the dust removing device. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line 13-13 in FIG. FIG. 14A is an enlarged end view of the first embodiment of the stirrer member. FIG. 14B is an enlarged end view of the second embodiment of the stirring unit equipment. FIG. 14C is an elevational view of the agitator member viewed from the side perpendicular to the view of FIG. 14B. FIG. 14D is a detailed view of the fin forming portion of the agitator member shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. FIG. 14E is an enlarged detail elevation view of the hub that forms the central portion of the stirrer with the fins of FIG. 14D attached to form a second embodiment of the stirrer. 14F is an enlarged detail elevation view similar to FIG. 14E of the first embodiment of the agitator of FIG. 14A. FIG. 14G is a detailed elevation view of a portion of the dedusting device, showing the manner of attachment of the agitator. FIG. 15 is an enlarged detail view of a chute member disposed under the stirrer to guide the particulate material to be fed into the dedusting device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing machine, Injection molding machine, Plastic molding machine 2 Supply hopper 10 Dedusting device 12 Hose 14 Dust collector 15 Inlet 15 Top opening 16 Return hose 20 Magnetic flux field coil, Magnetic flux field generator, Magnetic flux generator 25 Meter, Stirring 30 Air outlet 35 Air inlet 40 Outlet, outlet opening 100 Housing 102 Feed chute 104 Opening 106 Viewing window 110 Rotor, stirrer rotor 112 Motor 113 Metal hub 114 Blade, flexible blade 120 Cleaning deck, Air cleaning deck 122 Air filter 124 Inlet opening 126 Outlet opening 128 Sealed air inlet fitting 136 Baffle plate 140 Pressure gauge 150 Inlet 152 Outlet, outlet pipe 156 Outlet short pipe 158 Outlet pipe 160 Slot 162 Venturi chamber 164 Fixed closure member 166 Pressure relief valve 168 Dun Par 168 Adjustable damper 169a Operation lever 169 Baffle plate

Claims (22)

A dedusting device for removing contaminants from a particulate material,
A material inlet, a material outlet, an air inlet, and a housing defining the air outlet;
An infeed chute disposed adjacent to the material inlet for receiving material fed into the dedusting device through the material inlet and directing the material towards an opening formed in the infeed chute; When,
A meter that is disposed proximate to the opening to control the flow of particulate material through the opening in cooperation with the opening of the feed chute and provides a substantially constant flow of particulate material through the opening When,
Receiving a flow of particulate material through the opening, disposed at a flow receiving position relative to the opening for removing contaminants from the surface of the particulate material, and utilizing an air flow from the air inlet A cleaning deck disposed at a position along an air flow path extending from the air inlet to the air outlet to carry the contaminants to a remote location;
A dust removing device comprising:   The meter is a rotatable finned agitator disposed above the opening to block the opening to control the flow of particulate material through the opening of the feed chute. The dust removing device according to claim 1.   The dust removing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the finned stirrer includes a central hub that rotates around a central axis and a plurality of flexible blades attached to the hub.   The dust removing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the finned stirrer is rotated at a rotation speed of approximately one rotation per minute.   Each blade is formed in a substantially triangular shape, and the hypotenuse of the triangle forms a predetermined angle with respect to the inclination of the adjacent portion so as not to be parallel to the adjacent portion of the feeding chute. The dust removing apparatus according to claim 3.   The air flow is diverted into multiple flow paths by the housing, one of the flow paths creating the air knife that serves to facilitate the removal of contaminants from the particulate material. The dust removing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dust removing apparatus is a flow path that passes through a venturi chamber that is disposed adjacent to the venturi chamber.   The dust removing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the air outlet includes a baffle plate for preventing the particulate material from being discharged together with the contaminants through the air outlet.   The dedusting device according to claim 7, wherein an air filter is disposed to filter the air flow before the air flow is divided into the multiple flow paths.   The dedusting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a magnetic flux generator that creates a magnetic flux field for breaking electrostatic coupling between the contaminant and the particulate material.   10. The dedusting device is directly attached to a machine that uses the particulate material, and the material outlet is connected to direct the washed particulate material into the machine. Dedusting device described in 1.   The dust remover is connected to a remote dust collector remote from the dust remover to collect the contaminants discharged through the air outlet, and the dust collector passes through the air inlet. The dedusting device according to claim 10, wherein an air flow is supplied. A dedusting device for attaching to a plastic molding machine for cleaning surface contaminants from plastic pellets to be fed into the plastic molding machine
A material inlet, a material outlet, an air inlet, and a housing defining the air outlet;
A feeding chute arranged adjacent to the material inlet, the feeding chute leading the plastic pellets toward an opening formed in the feeding chute;
An agitator arranged to cooperate with the opening to supply a substantially constant flow of plastic pellets through the opening of the feed chute;
Receiving a flow of plastic pellets through the opening of the infeed chute, disposed in a flow receiving position relative to the opening to remove surface contamination of the plastic pellets, and air flow from the air inlet A cleaning deck disposed at a position along an air flow path extending from the air inlet to the air outlet to carry the contaminants to a remote location using
A dust removing device comprising:   The air flow is diverted into multiple flow paths by the housing, one of the flow paths creating the air knife that serves to facilitate the removal of surface contaminants of the plastic pellets. The dust removing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the dust removing apparatus is a flow path that passes through a venturi chamber that is disposed adjacent to the venturi chamber.   14. The agitator comprises a central hub that is rotated about a central axis by a motor at a rotational speed of approximately one revolution per minute, and a plurality of flexible blades attached to the hub. Dedusting device as described.   Each blade is formed in a substantially triangular shape, and the hypotenuse of the triangle forms a predetermined angle with respect to the inclination of the adjacent portion so as not to be parallel to the adjacent portion of the feeding chute. The dedusting device according to claim 14.   The dedusting apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a magnetic flux generator that creates a magnetic flux field for breaking an electrostatic coupling between the surface contaminant and the plastic pellet.   The dust remover is connected to a remote dust collector remote from the dust remover to collect the contaminants discharged through the air outlet, and the dust collector passes through the air inlet. The dedusting device according to claim 16, wherein an air flow is supplied. A method for removing surface contaminants from a particulate material for use in a processing machine comprising:
Arranging a dedusting device to receive a flow of the particulate material to be fed into the processing machine;
Metering the flow of particulate material and providing a substantially uniform flow of the particulate material through the dedusting device;
Washing a substantially uniform flow of the particulate material with an air stream passed through the dedusting device to remove the surface contaminants from the material to produce a washed particulate material;
Discharging the air flow accompanied by the surface contaminants from the dust removing device to a remote dust collecting device;
Supplying the washed particulate material to the processing machine;
A contaminant removal method comprising:   The step of disposing the dedusting device comprises the step of removing the particulate material so as to trap the flow of the particulate material to the processing machine in order to clean the particulate material before it is used in the processing machine. 19. The contaminant removal method according to claim 18, wherein a dust device is directly attached to the processing machine.   Rotating a finned agitator disposed over the opening of the feed chute to direct the flow of the particulate material through the dedusting device and supplying a substantially uniform flow of the particulate material through the opening of the feed chute The contaminant removal method of Claim 18 characterized by the above-mentioned. Positioning a wash deck to receive a substantially uniform flow of the particulate material from the finned agitator;
Diverting the air flow into multiple channels;
A first air flow path is set as a path through the venturi chamber and an air knife is created in the vicinity of the wash deck that serves to float the particulate material to facilitate removal of the surface contaminants. Passing an air flow through the first air flow path through the venturi chamber;
A second air flow path is set as a path through the washing deck, and the surface contaminant is moved to the air outlet to accompany the air flow and carry the associated surface contaminant to a remote location. 21. The contaminant removal method according to claim 20, further comprising a step of causing an air flow to flow through the second air flow path that flows through the cleaning deck.   19. The method of claim 18, including the step of creating a magnetic field to break electrostatic coupling between the surface contaminants and the plastic pellets before or during the cleaning step. Contaminant removal method.

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